Alumni Career Profiles

News

Events

Publications & Other Media

Profiles

Colin Dieck '04

Major(s): Religion, Math minor

Employer: ISLE program assistant
Country of residence: Sri Lanka

What was your Asian cultural experience upon graduation from Bowdoin?
Well, after working and traveling in the US for a few months, I decided to try being an English teacher, so I signed up for a month-long training course at a place in Suzhou, China and basically caught the next plane over to China, although I did stop in Japan for a week to see my dad and his wife and family over there. After completing the training course I spent a couple weeks traveling in China with a friend I made during the course. Eventually I found myself short of funds and in a decent place, with an okay-seeming school needing a teacher, so I signed up to teach for 6 months starting January 17th. While there I met a lot of people, spent time hanging out with my students, made a lot of friends, traveled to several important sites around the country, and, since the beginning of April, have been in a relationship with a Chinese girl. I guess there’s a lot more to say about my cultural experience, but I’ve no idea how to summarize it. It may be worth noting that I was living and teaching in a small, albeit touristy, town, not a big city, which is where most western ex-pats end up, and which is a very different environment.

I’ll also be going to Sri Lanka soon as a program assistant on the ISLE program and will certainly have a cultural experience there, although I’m not yet sure how to describe it, it not having happened yet.

What was your motivation for searching out an Asian cultural experience upon graduation from Bowdoin?
I wasn’t (I’m not) sure what career to pursue, but I knew I wanted to travel. I had an idea that I might work my way westwards around the globe, although that hasn’t quite panned out. Anyway, I’d been bumming around San Francisco for about a month and a half and was kind of tired of that, kind of tired with being in the US, so I decided to look into jobs that would allow me to travel internationally on my own schedule and decided teaching English was the best bet, found a training school in China, which is kind of unique, and went after it.

As for Sri Lanka, I’ve wanted to return since I was a student there and decided to apply for the assistant job, as it’s a field in which I have some experience and is non-academic (I’m not ready to go back to studying yet, no Fulbright for me).

What previous experiences prepared you for your experience?
Nothing really for China, other than a lot of prior experience with traveling, both within the US and internationally, and a readiness for some adventure. Sri Lanka, I was a student on the program.

What methods, contacts, etc. did you use to arrange your experience?
I found the training school I attended through the internet and found the teaching job I got through the friend I was traveling with. The ISLE job I knew about and sought because I was a student on the ISLE program in 2002.

Country in which you are currently residing:
USA, but only until August 3rd, when I go to Sri Lanka.

Organization for which you are working:
For the next week, Hiltz Moving & Storage. However, starting on August 3rd and continuing through the middle of December I will be working as a program assistant for the ISLE program.

Are you currently using your Asian language skills?
Occasionally I use Mandarin in talking with my Chinese girlfriend, and I’m practicing my Sinhala and will be using it some while I’m in Sri Lanka, but for all intents and purposes, no, not at present.

Did your experience influence your current and/or future career choice and job skills? If so, how?
Not directly, although my study of taiji has reinforced my realization that I function best as a body-active person.

Are you willing to be contacted by students who are interested to learn more about your experience?
Absolutely.

Story posted on September 21, 2005

« Back | More Career Profiles | Go to News Home